by Edge of Time
"Due to our research in the splitting of atoms and the analysis of the particles so liberated, we have found that matter and energy can be found in far more forms than was previously supposed. We have classified dozens of different types of sub-atomic particles now, and among them certain ones like the anti-proton and the anti-neutron which clearly did not appear to exist normally in our own universe. These particles have the same properties as the normal particles of our own matter, yet because their electrical charge is exactly reversed, they could not exist in contact with any part of our universe for more than a fraction of a second. And yet we found that nature permitted such things to be conceived—yes, even permitted the concept of anti-matter, whole structures, molecules, masses, all similar in every way to the normal matter and molecules of our universe—and yet absolutely unable to exist in context with our universe. The idea of this mirror-image matter was possible, yet nowhere could we hope to find it. But we could, strange to say, make it. Keep it in existence, no; but make it, yes.
"And that was one angle of my idea," Steiner stopped, glanced at them to see if they had followed him. ■ "This is an anti-matter universe?" asked Warren pointing at the microcosm.
"Frankly I don't know," said Steiner. "Probably not. But N the idea arose out of this thought. The thought was that we could create that which did not exist in this universe and that which physically was not allowed to exist in this universe —and yet which could be created. That was one staggering thought.
"The next was an idea which arose from a conjunction of two laws of physics. The first has to do with the changes in the mass of a particle as it approaches the speed of light. Einstein, followed by the work of Lorenz and Fitzgerald, determined that a moving object gained mass and lengthened in the direction of infinity as it approached the speed of light. Theoretically at the very speed of light a particle would be of infinite mass and infinite length.
"In our work at the cyclotrons, we determined that this was indeed so. Definite measurements of particles that had been raced up to close to that speed showed a strong and rapidly rising increase in their mass—so much so that it seemed as if it would always be impossible to supply enough energy to bring the particle finally to that ultimate speed." He paused to take breath. The two listeners did not interrupt him.
"The other factor which occurred to me was at first irrelevant. This is almost the opposite end of the research spectrum. The idea of absolute zero in temperature. It is known that the temperature of an object is the product of the relative speed of its molecules. As a body heats up, its molecules are farther apart from each other and move faster. As it loses heat, they slow down and approach each other. At absolute zero, the molecules would lose all motion, come to a dead stop. Such a stop would presumably cause all the molecules to come together, to form one mass without internal motion. This, too, seemed an unattainable vista. Experiments had produced temperatures of only fractions above absolute, but again the final zero could not be attained.
"It was my idea to combine both operations. To attempt to have a particle of matter reach both the speed of light and absolute zero simultaneously. I had a hunch—one of those queer inspirations that come out of nothing sometimes when you are working on a difficult problem—that by combining the cyclotronic speed-up with ultra-refrigeration methods—I might solve both. The addition of mass to a particle brought near absolute zero might be the extra factor. And vice versa.
"For you see, there is this about the speed of fight and the absolute zero of temperature—both are apparently boundaries of our universe. Both are part of the restraining walls of our very cosmos."
Steiner paused lost in thought. Warren looked at the pulsing stars flickering in the impenetrable depths of the microcosm. He waited silently.
"I proposed this idea and worked at it for four years before I finally saw how it could be done. At the same time Marco and Weidekind were working out the mathematical probabilities of the results. When we compared notes we saw what was coming. We took our work to the Lansing Foundation, explained it, and they granted us the means to continue our experiment, to put it into operation. They realized that the outcome might be inconceivably wonderful. They were right."
"What happened?" said Marge in an awed voice.
"The result of the experiment, the achievement of bringing a particle of matter to infinite mass and infinite length at absolute zero was the creation of a thing which could not exist in our universe. Obviously our universe cannot contain something of infinite mass and length, nor could a particle of the absolute solidity of absolute zero remain fixed. What happened was that the germ of a new universe was created. What happened, in short, was the creation by artificial means of exactly the same kind of super-primal atom as must have existed at the very origin of creation. An atom of hydrogen, infinite in mass, occupying all space, and packed to a density that encompassed in itself the whole potential of a universe of matter.
"This was the same type of particle that astro-physicists now believe existed at the dawn of our own universe, four and a half billion years ago!"
Steiner stopped, ran a hand through his sparse hair. "Such a primordial super-atom could be created. And when it was created, it must and would tear itself out of our own universe and make for itself another universe; it would create a space-time continuum of its own; one having no relation, dependence on, or connection with our own.
"The result of these calculations at first seemed self-defeating. It meant apparently that at the moment of our triumph, the primordial hydrogen atom would simply cease to exist as far as we were concerned. But later calculations showed that by surrounding the experiment with certain magnetic forces, by conducting it under certain stresses, it would not vanish but would encapsule itself—would simply form for itself a bubble in our own cosmos and would contain itself therein.
"We succeeded in producing this primordial universe-atom here on Thunderhook four years ago. You see it before you now."
Warren answered slowly, "But that which is before us is no atom. That's a miniature galactic system."
Steiner said, "Yes. This is the primordial hydrogen atom as it appears" some billions of its years later. The atom could not remain stable. It exploded—just as did the primordial universe-atom which was once the whole of our own universe. And it is not miniature—it is as large as our whole Milky Way galaxy."
"You've lost me," Marge said. "It isn't even as big as this building. Who are you trying to kid?"
CHAPTER SIX
Steiner laughed a little. "I know it seems hard to believe; the evidence of our eyes is so persuasive. Let me change my remark. In itself and to itself it is as large as our own- galaxy. It is about a hundred thousand light years in diameter. We know this is so, for that is the true measurement of the speed of light within this microcosm. Its light, which travels at the same speed as our own light and has the same properties, would take a ray one hundred thousand revolutions of one of its Earth-type planets around its primary sun to cross from one edge of this micro-universe to the other.
"So you are right in one way; to us, and judged only by our relative standards, this is a small object. But it does not obey the laws of this universe; it obeys only those laws of nature which adjust to its magnitude in the same fashion as its internal light. Since we ourselves cannot physically penetrate into this universe, then we must judge it only by its own standards.
"You see, it is a true independent space-time unit. In the last four of our years, it has passed through a billion of its years—and its internal particles have passed through a similar period of evolutionary development. You will see this for yourself later when you study our records and photos. From an exploding super-atom of hydrogen it has today reached a point where it has the same elements of our own universe, where it has suns of many types and ages, where these suns have planetary attendants, where they are grouped together roughly in a spiral disc galaxy."
Marge still shook her head. "I still say it's small."
&nb
sp; Warren turned to her. "I think what he means is that if you were in there—a person on one of its worlds and the same size to that world as you are to the Earth—why it would be a universe in size."
'Well," said the girl slowly, "I can get that all right. But what does it prove?"
"Yes," added Warren. 'What do you hope to learn from it? After all, I seem to remember from my college astronomy that our own universe contains not just one but hundreds and probably thousands of galaxies—and that it is constantly expanding and apparently infinite. This microcosm of yours is obviously smaller than ours, contains but one galaxy and plainly can't expand much more, and certainly it isn't infinite."
Steiner nodded. "Quite right, but you overlook the value of this. In the first place—and this was our original thought —it served as the experimental proof of theories regarding the creation of our own universe. By watching it develop we are able to trace the evolution of our own system of stars, to watch the birth of planets, to test the actual working out of cosmic forces far too vast and slow in our own universe for us to grasp.
"We have gathered masses of absolutely invaluable data on the forces that went into the creation of our sun and our planet and our human species. What is even more important is that we shall also see the working out of the end of a galaxy. We shall see what will happen when our own system grows old, when our own sun cools, and when our own galaxy comes eventually to old age and to some sort of cosmic death. What this will be is still only hypothesis. But in the next few months here at Thunderhook we will have the answers.
"This little microcosm is limited, and yet because its natural laws are essentially the same as ours, what it will do as it dies out will accurately mirror the end of our own galaxy. Not of our universe, it is true, for ours is, as you say, infinite and expanding. We have blocked the expansion of this one with our magnetic interference, and thus have established a barrier through which this micro-universe cannot penetrate. So it has but the one galaxy and is strictly finite.
"As a result of this limitation, it has gone through in one billion of its years what has taken us four and a half billion of our years."
Warren looked again at the pulsing everchanging marvel. "If what you say is so, then it must have planets that are at the level of Earth—and these planets may have life on them. Perhaps one or two even have intelligent life."
"Yes," said Steiner, "yes, yes. And that is the most wonderful discovery we have made. We didn't predict it, but the results of that will be priceless. For there are planets of this microcosm that have life! Planets sufficiently like Earth in mass and atmosphere and warmth to have life—and we watched this life evolve! And on fifteen of these worlds that life is almost where Earth life is now—with human-like beings and growing civilizations. On many more there are other human-types coming up the road fast!
"Do you realize what this means? It means that when these micro-civilizations surpass us, go on to where we will be a thousand, ten thousand, maybe a million years from where we are, we will be able to use their super-inventionsl In a few months more here at Thunderhook we may be in possession of the secret of perfected atomic-power machines, of anti-gravity devices, of perfected, advanced spaceships, of some kind of star-drive, if that is ever possible! We will know because we will watch them develop it in the millions of years they have still to go—in their time!
"And then we shall see how a world ends . . . this, too. But meanwhile these things make our project the world's most valuable. The secrets we shall find will benefit humanity immeasurably!"
Steiner was leaning over the raiLug as he went on, staring intensely into the black depths of the microcosm. He was as a man inspired. Marge was impressed. Steiner got control of himself, sat down again, mopped his brow. "This thing astonishes me even now. Forgive me for getting excited."
"I don't blame you," said Warren. "You were getting to me, too."
"Yes," said Marge, "but look: If you can't get into this microcosm, how can you see all those inventions? If these worlds are moving so fast in relation to us, then you can't see what's going on. Maybe with a fast-action camera, but are your telescopes good enough to see the small things on the surfaces? If those are suns, how can you see the planets?"
"A good question," said Steiner. "Frankly it stumped us after a while. The experiment was all right before planets began to form from the cosmic gas clouds, but after that we were up against the same problem. We do have powerful telescopes and we can see the planets. But we were not able to detect the details of life on their surfaces until a strange phenomenon was detected. That was what we call sympathetic phase visions."
"Sounds .like the mirages we've been chasing," said Warren.
Steiner nodded. "That's what they were. Because this is a universe of its own, its internal forces are vast and potent. They were able—as soon as some of its internal particles assumed a similar vibrational and physical phasing with our Earth itself—to set up sympathetic vibrations on our own world. We began to see visions around here several weeks ago here on Thunderhook a good deal, and I gather around the vicinity—occasionally to our embarrassment.
"Once a world within this microcosm sufficiently resembles Earth some part of it will, for reasons not quite determined, set up a sort of corresponding ring or vibration on some roughly similar bit of our own Earth. This takes the form of a mirage—a full dimensional vision of some scene which is in phase in the world of the micro-universe.
"Thus there was one wherein a section of a planet still in the primeval jungle period, with its beasts in the dinosaur-ian stage, was reflected or phased onto a farm near here."
"Bassett's farm!" gasped Marge.
"Yes," continued Steiner, "and many more things—flying beasts, sections of sky, bits of scenes, and now I hear from Weidekind an actual human scene; an event in some war going on on a world that is already very close to our level of civilization.
"These are very displeasing to us in one way—they call attention to our work. We have been trying out various means of blocking them, channeling them. We think that some additional magnetic blocks will cancel these mirages now.
"On the other hand, they afforded the first means of determining what was actually occurring on the planetary surfaces. There was a later side-effect even more fascinating.
This you will learn for yourself eventually. By this other method, we can know all that goes on—really all."
He fell silent. Warren and Marge got to their feet, walked slowly around the balcony looking into the microcosm from various angles. They saw that there were many telescopes set up. Most of these had photographic attachments constantly rolling, so that there was a steady record kept of everything occurring within the microcosm.
They returned to Steiner who was examining some spectro-graphic records. He looked up as they came to him again. "May I suggest now that you go to the record hall—I think Enderby must have shown it to you. Someone will be there who will be able to show you the photos of the various periods of our experiment. They are fascinating, I assure you.
Marge and Warren went out the way they had come in. Outside they stopped, looked up at the blue sky and the green grass and simultaneously took deep breaths. "Gosh," said Marge, "it felt strange in there. It felt somehow like playing God—and it scared me."
"I know what you mean," said Warren. "It was like being out of this world. It makes one feel as if one had been away on a distant trip and had just returned to the glorious sunlight of Earth. I think we are very lucky to witness this. You know this could be a turning point in the history of mankind."
Marge looked up at him a moment. "Warren, I think you're still a little woozy. I'm not sure I believe it."
"Suppose we go on to the records hall and look at the photos. That's more up your alley. Surely they will convince you. If they're fake, you should be able to tell."
"Yes," said the girl. "Come on."
The records hall was one of the long buildings that En-derby had pointed out before. They
walked across the grass to it, found the door. It was locked. Warren knocked on it with his fist.
There was an interval, then they heard footsteps hurrying to the door, and it opened. "Oh, hullo," said Roger Stanhope, gazing out at them. He was wearing a white smock and holding a folder in his hands. "Come on in."
They entered and found themselves in a long room filled with filing cases, projectors and viewing screens. Beyond was a small door which opened on a developing laboratory. "I was inside sorting out some stuff," said Stanhope. "Really I'm getting quite annoyed. It seems to me that someone is constantly poking around in here without telling me. I'm supposed to be the chief photographer and records keeper here. And I wish they'd let me know."
They were all walking toward the end room as he talked, having locked the door behind them again. Warren remarked, "Has everyone got a key to this place?"
"Oh no," said Stanhope. "Goodness, no. Nobody, but myself and Steiner and Marco and Enderby have keys. And I'm sure it wasn't them because they wouldn't be messing things up. Someone is getting in here and using my developers and tanks and mixing up my latest files. I wish they'd ask me."
They were in the developing room now. Reels of film were drying on racks, others were being prepared. A sheaf of folders was scattered over the broad work table. Warren looked at them. "Why would they come in without your permission?" he asked-
Stanhope waved his hands. "Heaven knows. Very annoying—and it's been going on for ever so long."
Marge whistled. "Maybe Kenster was right—maybe there is a spy here."
"Spies!" gasped Stanhope. "You mean a spy is coming in here and copying things? Why—I never thought of it!"
Warren looked around. "How often do you find things moved around or out of place?"
Stanhope pursed his lips. "Well, really not too often. I'd say it seems to happen about once a week, more or less. I really hadn't thought about it; just assumed one of the authorized three had been in. But lately it's been getting a bit irritating. You see we've been accumulating records at a great rate lately. Ever since they worked out the slowdown controls on the microcosm."